Transfer Amex MR to Avianca LifeMiles — ratio, bonuses, sweet spots

How to transfer

The deal

1:1

Amex MR → LifeMiles

Instant

Open Amex MR →Open LifeMiles →

Cents per LifeMiles point

Economy

1.3¢

Business

1.7¢

First

1.9¢

Approx value per point on average bookings. Sweet-spot redemptions can hit 4¢+ per point.

Do this first

Confirm award space on LifeMiles BEFORE you transfer

Transfers are final and cannot be reversed. Open LifeMiles's site in another tab, sign in, and load the exact flight you want at the points price you expect. Come back only when you're ready to redeem.

Open LifeMiles award search →

What you should know

You need a free LifeMiles account

Amex MR asks for your LifeMiles member number during the transfer. Sign up takes a minute and costs nothing.

Create LifeMiles account →

Minimum transfer: 1,000 Amex MR points

You can't transfer less than 1,000, and transfers must be in increments of 1,000.

Instant — usually under a minute

This transfer pair is marked instant and typically posts within seconds to a few minutes. Even so, occasional system delays happen — wait until you see the points in your destination account before doing anything else. These are typical times, not guarantees — always confirm award space first because transfers can't be reversed.

Cancellation: cancellation has a fee

$50-$200 redeposit fee (by cabin/distance) plus $25 booking fee that is never refunded.

Fee: ~$50Window: Anytime pre-departureTaxes: Partial refund

Points expiration

Amex MR: Membership Rewards points never expire as long as you have at least one Amex card open and in good standing.
LifeMiles: Avianca LifeMiles expire after 12 months of no activity. Easy to reset with a small partner earn or buying as little as 1,000 miles.
Heads up: your Amex MR points don't expire, but LifeMiles points (after transfer) do.

Step by step

1
Log in to American Express
Go to americanexpress.com and click Log In in the top right.
2
Navigate to Transfer Points → View All
Under Membership Rewards, find the Transfer Points tile and click View All to see every partner.
3
Pick LifeMiles from the partner list
Scroll the airline partners and click LifeMiles. The ratio shown should be 1:1.
4
Link your LifeMiles account
Enter the name on your LifeMiles account exactly as it appears there, plus your card ID, security code, and LifeMiles member number. Click Link Account.
5
Confirm the account is linked
Amex shows a confirmation page with your LifeMiles number. Click Continue to Transfer Points.
6
Open your linked LifeMiles card and click Transfer Points
On the Transfer Points screen you should now see LifeMiles as a linked program. Click Transfer Points on its card.
7
Enter the amount and confirm
Type the number of Membership Rewards points to transfer (1,000-point increments). Tick the terms box and click Confirm & Transfer Points. Transfers to LifeMiles usually post instantly — but always confirm award availability on LifeMiles.com first.

What LifeMiles points are great for

Lufthansa Business to Europe

63–80k LifeMiles pts

BOS → FRA·Business

63k points, no fuel surcharges. The smartest J redemption.

TAP Business to Lisbon

63–80k LifeMiles pts

JFK → LIS·Business

Premium cabin to Europe for under 70k.

Sweet-spot pricing means LifeMiles charges far fewer points for these specific routes than the cash value of the ticket — typically 4¢+ per point versus the average of 1.45¢.

Watch out

!Mixed-cabin priced at lower tier
!Buy-miles promotions up to 145% bonus regularly
!Cash + miles allowed on most awards

Other ways to get LifeMiles points

Official sources

https://www.lifemiles.com/ →

Transfer ratios verified 2026-05-01. Programs change terms occasionally — confirm on the official site before transferring.